What is an essay?
The modern essay form was pioneered by Michel de Montaigne in 1580, who coined the term “assai,” which means ‘to attempt’ as a means of exploring ideas in a free-flowing, conversational style. Unlike rigid reports, essays enable authors to incorporate personal insights, experiences, and voices into their arguments, thereby conveying their unique perspectives and critical thinking to the reader.
How does the UPSC Essay Paper test your credentials as an aspiring civil servant?
If you look closely at the 3 guidelines given in the UPSC Mains syllabus (discussed below) for the Essay paper, you'll notice they are not just about content to prepare. They talk about the expectations for a candidate writing an essay. Through your choice of ideas, structure, and expression, the essay becomes a mirror of how you think. In doing so, the paper subtly assesses your suitability for the role of a civil servant or administrator.Let’s break down the guidelines to understand this better:
Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics:
- Gives you a choice so you can showcase your strongest insights.
- It also tests your breadth, so you must be prepared across themes, not just one niche area. UPSC expects generalist officers who hold broad perspectives.
They will be expected to keep closely to the subject of the essay to arrange their ideas in orderly fashion and to write concisely:
- Keeping closely: demonstrates your ability to stay focused, comprehend strongly. A skill vital when handling precise policy mandates in service.
- Arranging ideas: Reflects your ability to plan and structure information logically. It mirrors the clear briefings and action plans you’ll produce on the job.
- Write concisely: Demonstrates you can present complex thoughts into their essence. This will be put to the test when you have to present time-sensitive government communications.
Credit will be given for effective and exact expression:
- Rewards precision of language. Exact wording avoids ambiguity, which is critical when drafting laws, orders, or advisories where misunderstanding can have serious consequences.
What is the importance of the Essay paper for the UPSC Mains Examination?
- High score variability → Big rank swings: a strong essay performance can substantially lift your otherwise “average” scores in General Studies or Optional papers.
For example:
The marksheet of UPSC Mains 2024, Rank 2, Harshita Goyal, who was also a student of Vision IAS Foundation Course, shows that a standout essay score made her achieve this rank. In the year when average essay marks were low, including 100 marks on Rank 1, Harshita’s 144 marks were a significant addition to her total score. Had there been 20-30 fewer marks here, she would not have been at Rank 2.
(2) Heavy weightage: With 250 marks (out of 1750 for all UPSC Mains papers) the essay amounts to approximately 12 % of the total written score. Since most of the content can be drawn from the GS preparation, a little more effort in the essay can also represent a high Return on Investment of time.
(3) Volatility of marks: toppers touch 140 +, while many stall at 45–50.
For example, below is a marksheet which shows that a low score in the essay can inhibit you from a place in the final list
What analysis does UPSC Mains 2025 Essay Paper provide?
(to be updated after the exam)
How has the UPSC Essay Paper evolved through the years?
A review of the essay questions asked from 2013-2024 (to be updated after the 2025 paper) reveals that, overall, topics have steadily shifted from straightforward GS-style questions to more abstract and philosophical questions demanding deeper introspection and originality.
The following observations are pertinent:
- Rise of Abstract Themes: Beginning around 2018 and accelerating after 2020, there is a clear trend of UPSC including more essay topics that require candidates to grapple with big ideas, abstract notions, or introspective reflection, rather than simply discussing concrete socio-political issues.
- E.g.: ‘“The Empires of the future will be the empires of the mind” (2024),
- “Not all who wander are lost.” (2023)
- “A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities.” (2022)
- Shift from Problem-Solution to Holistic Reflection: Earlier topics often focused on social ills or governance, expecting structured argumentation of causes, consequences, and possible solutions
- E.g., "Is the Colonial mentality hindering India's success?" (2013)
- "Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms?" (2016)
- "Has the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world?" (2017)
- Sustained Focus on Social Issues:
- E.g., Gender and Society: Topics like “Patriarchy is the least noticed yet the most significant structure of social inequality” (2020) and “Fulfilment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth” (2017) show recurring attention to women’s issues.
- Justice and Equality: “A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity” (2023) and “There can be no social justice without economic prosperity, but economic prosperity without social justice is meaningless” (2020).
- Integration of Technology and Modernity: Technology’s dual impact is increasingly explored, reflecting its growing role in society.
- E.g., “Rise of Artificial Intelligence: The Threat of Jobless Future or Better Job Opportunities Through Reskilling and Upskilling” (2019).
- “Social media is inherently a selfish medium” (2017).
- “Social media is triggering ‘Fear of Missing Out’ amongst the youth, precipitating depression and loneliness,” shows more nuanced, psychological takes. (2024)
- Economic Themes: Early years focus on economic structures and reforms (“Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms?” (2016)), while recent topics include measures of happiness (GDH) in evaluating growth, and challenges in reaching inclusive development.
- Federalism, leadership, and planning: regular references to federalism’s challenges, visionary leadership, and the value of critical or forward thinking mark different stages of public discourse focus.
- Educational and Moral Dimensions: Continuous presence of topics on education quality, values in schooling, and the shaping of national destiny through learning frameworks.
- “Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil” (2015); “Morality: Customary morality cannot be a guide to modern life” (2018).
- Environment and Sustainability: Shift from development-centric to sustainability-centric topics: “Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India” (2018), “Forests precede civilizations and deserts follow them” (2024).
Why do people get low scores in the Essay?
Despite clear UPSC mains syllabus guidelines, many candidates underperform. The recurring causes are:
- Over-reliance on rigid frameworks: Many candidates defaulted to plugging every essay topic into a fixed acronym (PESTEL, SWOT, etc.). While these can provide structure, evaluators noted that repeatedly forcing-fitting different questions, especially abstract ones, into the same template leads to:
- Mechanical arguments: Fitting every question into “Political → Economic → Social…” yields formulaic, one-size-fits-all essays.
- Shallow analysis: Repeating the same six headings ignores the unique “heart” of each topic, making essays read like bulleted lists.
- Outdated or generic examples fail to engage examiners: Many essays lean heavily on decades-old historical events (e.g., 1990s economic reforms), generic GS snippets, and examples of popular officers.
- Lack of personal insight and creativity: In trying to avoid error, many aspirants wrote safe, report-style paragraphs devoid of any individual perspective or reflection. Without a hint of original thought, whether through a novel analogy, a contemporary quote, or a nuanced case study, examiners have little to reward beyond rote recall.
What is an ideal UPSC strategy for Essay preparation?
- Build a Broad, Thematic Reading Habit: Newspapers, Magazines, general articles, novels, and movie plots, as well, can be a part of your readings.
- Thematic Dossiers: Maintain digital folders (or notebooks) on 8-10 core themes like governance, ethics, environment, technology, social justice, geopolitics, education, and culture. It should include important definitions, key statistics, case studies, and iconic quotes.
- Dissect Past Year Questions: For each topic you practice, ask: “Why did UPSC ask this now?” Link it to policy debates (e.g., climate action at COP), current events (e.g., AI regulation), or philosophical shifts (e.g, meaning of happiness).
- Master the art of structure: The Essay should have a flow and structure as discussed above.
- Critique & Feedback Loop: Practice writing on a weekly or fortnightly basis and get feedback.
- Self-evaluation Checklist:
- Did I stay on topic?
- Did each paragraph have a clear purpose?
- Are my examples up-to-date and varied?
- Is my language precise and concise?
- Mentor Feedback: Get 1–1 reviews focusing on depth of analysis and expression. Vision IAS supports students through the Lakshya Mains Mentoring Program and the Daksha Mains Mentoring Program, where students master the essay paper through extensive academic sessions and rigorous practice. We are thrilled to highlight that Topic 6 from Section B of the UPSC Essay Paper 2024, "Nearly all men can withstand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power" aligns perfectly with topics from our Daksha Mains Mentoring Program’s Practice Tests (DMPT) and All India GS Test Series - Paper IV (Test Code: 2698)
Final round: In the final round before your Mains exam, you can realign UPSC preparation what you have done with the Vision IAS support ecosystem by:
- Joining the Essay Enrichment Programme, where you will have 5 essay classes with the flexibility to watch live or revisit through recorded sessions. Practice using tests, built into this programme, and then discuss the gaps with your mentor.
- All India Essay Test Series: Depending on your requirement, Vision IAS also provides a series of tests for essays, which is meticulously designed keeping in mind the evolving pattern of examination.
In the end, wishing you all the best! For any queries with regards to your essay preparation, feel free to contact us.